'He asked me sincerely whether I would send Frankel to the Breeders’ Cup'

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

We've caught up with a host of leading industry figures for our Bloodstock Q&A series. In Thursday's hot seat, Group 1-winning trainer George Scott discusses his admiration for Henry Cecil, why temperament tops his wish list when buying yearlings, and the Arc dream keeping him motivated with Bay City Roller.

Favourite stallion past and present 

Past: Dynaformer. Ed Crisford and I visited him many years ago at Three Chimneys, and I’ve never seen a horse with so much presence. There were some quite extraordinary stories about him, both in training and later at stud, including tales of him dragging people into his box and stamping on mice during the night. I’ll never forget the way he looked at us when he came out to see us in his late twenties. He was a truly remarkable stallion and one of the most influential sires in America. 

Present: Night Of Thunder. As a trainer, you have to get your hands on as many as possible!

Put these in order of preference: Pedigree, conformation, temperament 

Temperament number one. It’s the hardest thing to really determine in a horse, especially when you’re buying from a sale because you get such limited time with them. But they’ve got to want to go out and compete; it’s not something you can teach them. Pedigree, two, because I always find that with horses who get on a nice upward trajectory, the ones with the pedigree seem to take you that bit further. And conformation three. Of course it’s important, but if a horse is sound, it’s sound regardless of what it looks like.

Most underrated stallion?

Phoenix Of Spain has been very good to me in the context of Caballo De Mar. We bought Caballo De Mar relatively cheaply from Tattersalls Ireland, and he’s taken us on an extraordinary journey, winning my first Group 1. Phoenix Of Spain is a stallion who’s quietly capable of getting a good horse. 

Which young sire excites you most?

I really loved Charyn as a racehorse and think he had all of the attributes of a future stallion. He was robust, tried his heart out and left it all out on the track. I enjoyed watching him train in Newmarket, and he never seemed to miss a beat.

I also think Chaldean is a horse who could represent huge commercial value. He’s a son of Frankel and was a very fast horse for the distances he ran over. I’ve already seen some of his stock, and they look exactly how you’d expect them to look. On the track, Persian Force has made an excellent start this year. 

Caballo De Mar and George Scott after the Prix du Cadran Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Favourite sale anywhere in the world?

Tattersalls is my favourite sale because it means, as a trainer based in Newmarket, I’m able to train the horses, be around them, and be around the day-to-day running of the yard, while being as efficient as I can be at the sale. We’re lucky having Tatts in Newmarket because you’re able to continue with your daily routine and be at the sale.

I love the sales. I spend every moment I can there. I just see it as one of the most important parts of the job when training racehorses, because if you don’t have the product, you can’t get the results.

Who would you most like to spend a day inspecting yearlings with?

I’d have to say Billy Jackson-Stops. We’ve formed a great working relationship, based on years and years of friendship and trust. We’ve already bought some top-class horses and I’m very much looking forward to the future alongside him. Another agent’s company I do enjoy is Alex Elliott, who’s always up for a laugh, although he’s a very hard man to pin down on the day of a sale!

Who from the racing world do you most admire and why?

Henry Cecil. I spent two years with his wife, Jane, at Warren Place, which I’ll never forget. It’s just the magic of Warren Place left behind by Henry. I also had an opportunity to spend a little bit of time with him. On one occasion, we sat down on the heath on a late summer’s morning, and he asked me sincerely whether I would send Frankel to the Breeders’ Cup. This was at the end of his three-year-old year. I didn’t really know what to say, but it was quite an extraordinary moment. But that’s the type of man he was, he had time for everyone. He left a lasting impression on all around him. 

I would have to mention Aidan O’Brien as well, who, in addition to the fact he’s going to be the winningmost Group 1 trainer of all time, is a gentleman. 

Henry Cecil was an influence for ScottCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

If you could change one thing to improve the yearling sales season, what would it be?

I don’t think it’s my place as a trainer to really comment on improving the sales season. What I do know is that it’s a pretty difficult period of time for a trainer trying to work out which sales they need to attend and for how long. Fundamentally, we’re the trainers and we’re there to train the horses we have in the yard, so it can be quite compromising spending a lot of time at the sale. But, as I said earlier, it’s so necessary. If you could wave a magic wand from a training point of view, all the sales would be a little bit more condensed, but I know that’s impossible.

Geldings in the Arc: yes or no?

No. If Aidan O’Brien, Andre Fabre and John Magnier are fiercely against the introduction of geldings, that will do for me. I’m all for innovation, change and helping propel horseracing forward, and have been a big supporter of many of the initiatives that have been introduced. However, this seems a step too far. The Arc is the most prestigious race in the world for many, many people and it’s so unique in its timing and its location. I just don’t feel the race needs to evolve any further at this stage.

Which race would you most like to win and why?

The Arc with Bay City Roller this year. If he gets his ground, he surely has to be a player.

The last book you read

I was privileged to be interviewed by David Walsh from The Times recently and he bought me a book called Captain Class. I’m doing my best to get through it and report back to him. It’s fascinating really because it just reiterates how important the team element is in any sport, and that’s something that I can really relate to. I think, to be successful in this game, it’s all about the people that you have around you, and this book elaborates on that.

Your ideal dinner party guest list

It would be Sheikh Mohammed, John Magnier, the Aga Khan, and Shaikh Nasser. Shaikh Nasser and I would just sit there and ask questions all night, and hopefully we could learn a little bit from each of them. I know Shaikh Nasser has aspirations to follow their path to the top.

Read more:

'There's no chance I'm ever going to jump a fence, so it would have to be in the Champion Bumper' 

'Time has taught me how important pedigree is and I'm embarrassed by how quickly I disregarded it previously' 

'I’d have loved to spend a day inspecting yearlings with Vincent O’Brien'